6 GoodGymers braved the chill in Camden last night!

While most Londoners huddled in thick coats one special group were busy with wheelbarrows and shovels and hedge trimmers too.

Assembling at Charlie Ratchford Court alongside the lovely Catherine from Green City Projects, Hannah, Jackie, John, Siobhan, and Steve didn't look cold at all!

No task was too much effort for this crew! Together we:

✅ Removed a tarpaulin sheet from a soon-to-be-planted flower bed

✅ Emptied a GIANT sack of sand into endless wheelbarrows for safe depositing

✅ Emptied another GIANT sack of soil into fresh planters

✅ Cut tens (maybe hundreds..!) of overhanging branches

✅ And more!

It is wonderful seeing what 6 pairs of hands can achieve ❤️

Thank you so much, everyone! Here's to next time!

12 goodgymers travelled to Ocean Youth Connexion on a chilly Monday evening. Some cycled, others walked, John braved poorly lit towpaths (successfully managing to remain a land mammal). Taskowner Kamal instructed us on the two jobs for the night 1) bagging up leaves in the yard and 2) painting the roller shutter.

Nia and Darren transformed the roller shutters from a muted grey to shiny metallic, almost rivaling the brightness of the jackets sported by myself and Emma. They were meticulous with their paint rollers, trapping us all in the yard at the end just to get the job done. Or one could say, painting us into a corner (pun credit/blame: Darren)... We were all happy to stay to witness the finishing touches of their Rothko-esque masterpiece.

The rest of the gang were busy beavers running around the yard clearing it of loose leaves (which Kamal had already kindly swept into piles). Wheelbarrows, brooms, brushes, leaf scoopers and hands were employed to get the job done. It seems like every time we come to Ocean Youth, Kamal provides a new helpful item - headtorches this time. So industrious were we, there was a constant background rustling sound throughout the hour. Countless trips back and forth were made to the designated leaf drop off zone for the leaf fairies (aka the council) to pick up at a later date.

Bang went the clock tower, and with jobs complete, a cheery gang made their way to the pub round the corner.

7 GoodGymers added good deeding and coffee to their Saturday mix!

There are three flower beds on Camden Square that are now cared for by the local community.

Two are already filled with rich colour while one is getting ready for shaping.

And it was this latter bed that caught our focus this morning.

Hannah joined us on their second good deed (welcome!) and Maria traveled over from West London (welcome!), and they joined our regular Camden crew of Imogen, Helen, Jackie, and John.

We grabbed spades and forks and dug deep into the earth to lift a hefty pile of weeds and roots.

After 60 minutes of work and conversation, we left a tidy space and headed out for coffee :)

Thank you, everyone! Here's to next time!